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- Sharks and Dry Fish soup
In 2011 through a decree Honduras decided to become a shark sanctuary, banning shark fishing and commercialization of their meat derivatives in all the Exclusive Economic Zone. In 2016, there was a change in the Shark Sanctuary legislation, which allowed incidental captures of sharks to be commercialized. Unfortunately, the legislation was vague and incidental captures were not well defined which turned the amendment into a loophole, especially during the lent season festivities. During this time, Hondurans traditionally consume a dry fish soup made of a product known as “Cecina”, which is dry and salted shark or ray fillets. However, the people who buy this product are unaware it is shark or ray. We knew that shark fishing was prohibited in theory, but where was all this Cecina coming from? To answer this question, our team reached out to the most knowledgeable people we could find: Artisanal Fishers. Our work took us to several fishing communities both in the mainland of Honduras and in the Bay Islands to assess whether artisanal fishers were indeed capturing sharks. Most fishers we would interview were not really capturing sharks, but many would often mention the Moskitia Region and specifically the Miskito Cays, because this was the area where according to them artisanal shark fishing was occurring and where most of the Cecina was sourced. The Moskitia region is by far the most remote and inaccessible area in the country, very few people were working there and none in the Miskito Cays. The idea of seeing these unexplored and remote cays firsthand and understanding what was happening there really intrigued me. In 2017, with the permission of the Miskito Territorial council and one brave fisherman, who decided to take a mostly all women team despite the superstition of “bad luck”, we finally made it to the Miskito Cays! We discovered a seasonal shark fishery, targeting great hammerheads and other large bodied sharks to suffice the demand for the infamous Cecina. The fishers were mostly using gillnets and to a lower extent longlines. We also had the opportunity to see the human side of this fishery, hardworking Miskito fishers trying to make a living to support their families. They were kind and patient enough to let us collect data on most of the sharks landed and this marked the beginning of our project. After this initial trip we knew two things: (1) We needed more information, and (2)this was not our last trip to the Cays. All that we knew from the Cays at this point was the data we had gotten from one boat, but there was no fisheries independent baseline information on this remote and important area. Our work is trying to answer some of these questions by going back to the source, the artisanal fishers. We hope to tap into their traditional ecological knowledge to be able to better understand the fishery and the motivations of the fishers themselves using surveys.
- When life gives you lemon sharks..
At ilili, we are often surprised at the unlikely places we have forged some of the most amazing friendships and partnerships. In 2020, as the world stopped, our Executive Director was browsing through facebook and ran into a livestream of lemon sharks on a dock in the Island of Utila. She reached out to owners, Paul and Chrisna Avenant, who had decided to install cameras under and around their dock to see what cool critters they could see. To their surprise, they started seeing lemon sharks ( Negaprion brevirostris ) hanging around. This was very interesting, as dive shops rarely ever see lemon sharks on any dives. In 2021, ilili went and tagged some juvenile lemon sharks and nurse sharks with some conventional tags at Utopia. Since then, these same individuals have been spotted in and around the docks. Our friends at Utopia Village have now 10 live cameras which are livestreaming through the Explore platform online. During the nighttime, its very common to spot both species from the dock, but where are they when they aren’t on camera? This is what Executive Director Gabriela Ochoa wondered, and so, for her birthday, she started a fundraiser online to answer this questions through acoustic telemetry. To our surprise, the Explore organization decided to fund the project! But what is acoustic telemetry? Essentially, individuals are tagged with a special tag that emits a small sonar signal that is picked up by the receivers when they are within range. This method has been used worldwide in both terrestrial and marine ecology and is very well suited to tracking megafauna like sharks and rays. By tracking when and where an individual is picked up by a receiver, you can see the journeys the sharks make on a daily basis, and their favourite spots to hang out. Using this information, ilili will gain insight into where the key sites for lemon sharks are around Utila, what kind of habitats they prefer, and how their habitat preference might change throughout the day and also over time. This will in turn help us to protect these beautiful creatures more efficiently and keep sharks on Utila’s reefs for years to come.
- Spotting Eagle rays in the Bay Islands of Honduras
Spotted Eagle rays ( Aetobatus narinari ) are some of the most iconic megafaunas found in the Bay Islands of Honduras. Seeing their elegant flights beneath the waves has always been a highlight and goal for many a diver and snorkeler. However, despite being classified as Endangered by the IUCN Red List, we know very little about these enigmatic creatures, especially in Honduras. So ilili set out on a collaboration with the Whale Shark Oceanic Research Cente r to learn more about Spotted Eagle Rays. One thing we know about Spotted Eagle rays is that their iconic spots, which give them their name, are unique, much like fingerprints, and this can be used to our advantage. These unique patterns allow for photo-identification, helping us track their movements over time. This method is popular for studying marine creatures where tagging is challenging and expensive. Similar approaches have been used with other species, such as identifying Humpback whales by their flukes (tails), Manta Rays by the patterns on their undersides, and Whale sharks by their spot patterns. In 2022 we created a citizen science form on our website, to start tracking these rays. Photos are submitted by divers or snorkelers who spot a Spotted Eagle ray (pun intended) – if the photo clearly shows at least one of the pelvic fins of the ray (see photos) then we can use the photo for photo-identification! Using a software called I3S Spot, we can isolate the spot pattern on the pelvic fin of a Spotted Eagle ray and compare it to other individuals in our database to see if there is a match or if it is a brand-new individual. If it’s an individual that hasn’t been recorded before, then the lucky photographer gets to name the creature! We have recorded 179 individual rays in the Bay Islands out of 333 photos processed. This means that 19.4% of the rays have been resighted. Interestingly, no individual has been spotted in both Roatan and Utila, suggesting there may be no movement between the islands. Additionally, one individual on Utila has been staying around the island for nearly six years, making it the longest ongoing sighting of an individual we've observed so far! We use this data collected to understand more about where an individual eagle ray’s distribution – that is, where and how far they travel. Also, because we often see Spotted Eagle rays in groups, we can tell if they stick to the same groups or mix it up more, which tells us about their social interactions! This is all crucial information for the protection of these beautiful creatures. To participate in this citizen science project and the chance to name your own Spotted Eagle ray, keep your eyes peeled when snorkeling and diving in the Bay Islands, and submit your pictures here.